semi·fi·nal
ˌse-mē-ˈfī-nᵊl 
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
1
: being next to the last in an elimination tournament
2
: of or participating in a semifinal
Examples of semifinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans pose outside the arena before the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, on Friday.
—Will Ujek, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And now, there are just four teams left standing as the competition enters its semifinal stage.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Gabbie Marshall of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after beating the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 05, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Reyna added a 63rd-minute goal following a pair of extra-time assists in Thursday’s semifinal win over Jamaica.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Sage Creek won a dramatic semifinal match against Westview (17-6), winning in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Organizers hope to play the first- and third-place games Saturday morning, but if rain forces the Saturday games to be canceled, the winners of Friday’s two semifinal games in the Gold Bracket would be declared co-champions.
—Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
The Cal State San Marcos women’s basketball team faced a press for most of Wednesday’s NCAA Division II national semifinal game.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Vanessa Romo, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the leadership of head coach Monte Pace, Heritage is undefeated ahead of the state semifinals.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The next generation of Gaels and Bears will be watching as the teams battle it out for a spot in the national semifinals.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
The Iowa-UConn semifinal was watched by 14.2 million people—a record not just for women’s college basketball, but for any basketball broadcast on ESPN.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
The Norse reached the Horizon League semifinals three times during her tenure − in 2023, 2022 and 2020.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women’s Final Four compared with that for the men’s semifinals, according to technology company Logitix, which analyzes prices across multiple platforms.
—Anne M. Peterson and Doug Feinberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Next up for the Hawkeyes (34-4) is a rematch with unbeaten South Carolina, which lost to Iowa in last year's national semifinals.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Monk’s injury The injury will cost Monk at least a month, meaning the earliest plausible return would be for the conference semifinals beginning in the first week of May, should the Kings make it that far.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
After Saturday’s game, or following the semifinal if Boston College loses, Smith could announce his intention to return to school for his sophomore season in Chestnut Hill — or sign a contract with the Sharks and turn professional right away.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans pose outside the arena before the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, on Friday.
—Will Ujek, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And now, there are just four teams left standing as the competition enters its semifinal stage.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Gabbie Marshall of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after beating the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 05, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Reyna added a 63rd-minute goal following a pair of extra-time assists in Thursday’s semifinal win over Jamaica.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Sage Creek won a dramatic semifinal match against Westview (17-6), winning in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Organizers hope to play the first- and third-place games Saturday morning, but if rain forces the Saturday games to be canceled, the winners of Friday’s two semifinal games in the Gold Bracket would be declared co-champions.
—Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
The Cal State San Marcos women’s basketball team faced a press for most of Wednesday’s NCAA Division II national semifinal game.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
The subsequent semifinals between Iowa and the University of Connecticut broke that record, attracting 14.2 million TV viewers, ESPN said.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the leadership of head coach Monte Pace, Heritage is undefeated ahead of the state semifinals.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The next generation of Gaels and Bears will be watching as the teams battle it out for a spot in the national semifinals.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
The Iowa-UConn semifinal was watched by 14.2 million people—a record not just for women’s college basketball, but for any basketball broadcast on ESPN.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
The Norse reached the Horizon League semifinals three times during her tenure − in 2023, 2022 and 2020.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women’s Final Four compared with that for the men’s semifinals, according to technology company Logitix, which analyzes prices across multiple platforms.
—Anne M. Peterson and Doug Feinberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Next up for the Hawkeyes (34-4) is a rematch with unbeaten South Carolina, which lost to Iowa in last year's national semifinals.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Monk’s injury The injury will cost Monk at least a month, meaning the earliest plausible return would be for the conference semifinals beginning in the first week of May, should the Kings make it that far.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semifinal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near semifinal
Cite this Entry
“Semifinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semifinal. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
semifinal
1 of 2 adjective
semi·fi·nal
ˌsem-i-ˈfīn-ᵊl
1
: coming before the final round in a tournament
2
: of or taking part in a semifinal
More from Merriam-Webster on semifinal
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for semifinal
Nglish: Translation of semifinal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of semifinal for Arabic Speakers
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